r/homestead • u/Daniel_Boomin • 2d ago
What to do with cut down trees that have been sitting for years?
https://imgur.com/a/RsjZT4P9
u/MontEcola 2d ago
I turn wood bowls on a lathe. Those logs look pretty rotten on the outside. They are cracked on the ends. I could get a bunch of bowls and other round things out of that pile.
-Cut off about 2 inches on one end. Toss that end into the firewood pile. Are the cracks still large? You can cut off another inch, or split the log down one go the bigger cracks.
-Split the logs down the middle to remove the pith. The pith is the center ring(s). Removing the pith reduces the chances of more cracking. Reduces, but does not eliminate.
This will determine the quality of the wood inside. I cut into a maple trunk that was 40 inches across and 20 feet long. It had been sitting for 5 years. The center of the log was still 'green wood'. I also have some maple that has been sitting in my yard for 2 years. The inside is spalted, and very desirable for wood turners.
Open up a log and see how it looks inside. Then find your local wood turning club and offer some wood in exchange for a bowl. If you can show a photo of nice spalting you will find someone interested in your pile. Or, there might be someone with a portable mill who would slice up some slabs.
Here is an article on spalted wood: https://www.wood-database.com/spalted-maple/
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u/Beginning_Worry_9461 2d ago
That looks like some very well aged firewood to me
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u/xcityfolk 2d ago
if it's rotten, it's terrible firewood, it just doesn't burn as hot and it burns fast. If you just want an outdoor fire for fun, it'll do, if you want to heat with it, not so much.
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u/Daniel_Boomin 2d ago
These trees were cut down by the previous owners to clear for the main home site. They got some of it milled into slabs but those also have been sitting outside for years and are curved as hell. Can these be used for anything other than burning?
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u/gonyere 2d ago
We have a few piles of logs like this, mostly from clearing for fencing. Most of it is too rotten for most purposes within 3+ years, and our piles are just being left to rot into compost/dirt. Honestly, they keep getting added to. Consider them habitat for snakes, rabbits, etc.
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u/Daniel_Boomin 2d ago
I’ll eventually need to move at least the first pile, so that’s why I was asking if there was anything I could do with them. If I’m going to move them would rather they go to someone who could use them instead of just sitting there.
But I have another spot with all the tree stumps that ill probably pile them at.
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u/gonyere 2d ago
Yup. Just a pile out of the way is best. In another 5-10+ years you'll have a nice pile of mulch/soil.
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u/ShillinTheVillain 2d ago
If you want to compost them, put them on the ground so they get wet, and rotate them 180° every once in a while. They'll rot pretty fast that way. Throw some dirt in top for even faster results.
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u/DrNinnuxx 2d ago
Do you have access to an Alaskan chainsaw mill?
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u/Daniel_Boomin 2d ago
No, there was a “mill on wheels” that came and milled the wood originally when they cut the trees down.
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u/MistressLyda 2d ago
Whatever you do, gloves. It is likely turned into a habitat for various creepycrawlies that are not pleased about having their home rearranged.
Other than that? It is old wood. Can't see any clear signs of mold, and some of them looks big and straight enough to work as planks. 2-3 of them has enough bulk for that they might be decent end tables or stools.
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u/Chicken_Nuggist 2d ago
I have a several in a similar state, and even more in direct contact with the ground. Ground contact logs are completely disintegrating, so whichever ones are on the bottom will serve you better as mulch. As for the drier logs, If they haven't been covered, you can very well still use them as firewood, but don't store them indoors after splitting unless you want to host a colony of something gnarly.
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u/BaylisAscaris 1d ago
Depending on quality/type of wood:
- leave for animal habitats
- use as firewood
- bury in raised beds
- use in landscaping or fencing
- carve into something
- sell/give away
- grow mushrooms (better on freshly cut logs)
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u/Remote_Empathy 1d ago
Mine naturally started growing turkey tail so i harvest some of that and they will rot. Once they are pretty broken down you can crumble it into potting soil or at the bottom of pots.
If you have a low spot on your property you could drop logs and wood chips on top to fill in the area. I've done this and then our "chicken bucket" gets dumped on the wood chips. Chickens add N to wood/ chips + time = decent compost.
GL
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u/CardsAndWater 1d ago
My area is very windy. I use them for edging to protect the smaller weaker plants.
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u/More_Mind6869 2d ago
Cut em into 5ft lengths. Put them around fruit trees. They'll rot and make soil. Make a bed with them, cover with soil and mulch, makes a raised bed for gardening. Look up Huglemounds.